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Japanese PM Orders ‘Thorough Measures’ After First Bird Flu Outbreak in 8 Months

Japan ordered the culling of about 4,000 chickens Tuesday following an outbreak of avian influenza at one of the country’s poultry farms.

The owner of the farm in the country’s southwest reported that 20 of his birds died suddenly over the weekend, following which a DNA test revealed the presence of the H5 strain of the bird flu virus, AFP reported.

The affected farm, located in Miyazaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, has been locked down along with several others surrounding it. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered “thorough measures for epidemic prevention” in what is the country’s first confirmed bird-flu outbreak since April.